Return of the Lost Hero
by xTian07168
Summary: Following my alternate ending, a new battle begins as the new host of the oracle has stated the new Great Prophecy. Nico, Thalia, Annabeth and her mortal son Luke Perseus will embark on a new quest to protect the Western Civilization. Will they succeed?
1. I return to camp

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
_Return of the Lost Hero_**

**A/N:** This is a sequel I made that follows my Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian Alternate Ending. If you haven't read it, I would advise you to read it so that you will not be lost in this chapter. This sequel contains OC and may contain OOC or AU. Please enjoy anyway! :D Oops, by the way, this sequel would be in Annabeth's POV.

* * *

**SUMMARY OF THE ALTERNATE ENDING**

Percy died a hero because of shielding Thalia from the disintegrating Kronos/Luke. Before that happened, he saved Annabeth and Grover by letting them fly on the Pegasi Blackjack and Porkpie.

Annabeth continues her life without Percy. Poseidon, god of the sea and father of Percy, gave her Riptide. Annabeth then keeps it as a reminder of Percy.

Years later, she marries another guy from the Athena cabin, Malcolm and they had a son named Luke Perseus. Little did they know that their son is a "reborn" version of Percy, after he told Hades, god of the underworld, that he will try for the Island of the Blest, which means that he needs to live three different lifetimes righteously. And after the ritual, Percy lost all of his memories of being Percy, and had become Annabeth's son.

* * *

**CHAPTER I - I Return to Camp**

"Honey", Malcolm called from outside my room, "I'm sorry to bother you but I'm currently holding two cups of coffee and I can't open the door"

"I'm coming", I chuckled as I walked towards the door.

Opening it, I saw my dear husband who had gray eyes like me too. This is because both of us are children of Athena, goddess of battle strategy. Maybe you're wondering how come half siblings married each other. Well, gods don't have DNA so genetically speaking, we are not siblings.

"So little Luke had slept", Malcolm went to the end table and placed the cups of coffee there.

"Yeah, I guess your trip to the water park tired him", I sat by the window that overlooks the new Manhattan.

Up to now, I still admire my masterpiece – the white marble buildings that towered against each other. It was such an honor for me to be chosen as the official architect of Olympus. And now that I can see my hard work, it surely brightens up my mood even if I feel down at times. Maybe you know why.

The reason of my loneliness is here on the end table, lying on top of Daedalus' laptop. Daedalus, the best inventor the world has known, gave me his laptop before he died years ago. From it did I discover new ideas that have not been known to any man since the start of time. I have used some of his works already. Most of them, I had used in our battle against Kronos and his allies more than a decade ago.

Anyway, let's not stray off the topic any longer. Where were we again? Oh, the _thing_ that's on the laptop. It was a pen. But don't be deceived by its looks because when uncapped, it will reveal a sword that survived through a bloody history. It was pure celestial bronze – an element used in weapons against monsters. It harms monsters but not humans. That's the advantage of the weapon.

On it was the word 'Anaklusmos', Greek for Riptide. And below it was the phrase 'In memory of Percy Jackson, the one who I love'.

As I realized the words engraved on it, I quickly picked it and hid it in my pocket. Fortunately, Malcolm was staring at the traffic below so he didn't notice me.

Percy is a son of the god of the sea, Poseidon. He was a brave hero. He fought side-by-side with me through the years. But on one fateful day, the day he turned sixteen, he sacrificed himself to save one of my old friends, Thalia.

I remembered Poseidon's words to me before. _'I knew you know this already, but my son loved you'_. I wish I had known before. I wish I had told him that early. But I didn't find the courage to confess to him. And until the moment he breathed his last, I wasn't able to reply to him.

_'Remember, I love you'_ those were the words that Percy told me before he brought us to the Pegasi that saved us. I did nothing when he said that but weep on his shirt. I didn't even tell him that I loved him too. How I hate that time! I wish I had told him that I love him. I wish.

"Honey?" Malcolm called me back to my senses, "Thinking of something?"

Apparently, he noticed that I was staring blankly at the buildings outside. "Nothing, it's just the buildings", I made an excuse.

"They're really awesome. I wish I had talents in architecture like you"

"Don't humble yourself! You're also good in architecture. Plus, you had the brains to topnotch the bar exam"

My husband did not reply. I felt that he was flattered a bit. His cheeks turned light pink and then went to normal at once. I forgot to tell you that he's a lawyer. He got a perfect score in the bar exams, and that made my proud of him. Well, what would you expect from a son of Athena?

I was taking a sip of coffee when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it", Malcolm stood up and proceeded downstairs.

I wondered who that man outside might be. It's almost the evening already. Who would visit you at night? Unless you invited friends for a night party, this would really surprise you.

I heard footsteps coming to my room. Malcolm opened the door. "Honey, someone wants to give you a message"

Malcolm sidestepped to reveal the visitor. He wore a black jacket. He had brown eyes and black hair. It was as if black was his favorite color. "Long time no see, Annabeth", he spoke.

"N-Nico? Is that you?" I recognized him slightly, based on his appearance that hadn't changed through the years.

"Oh, good that you remember me"

I stood up while Nico approached me. He kissed me on the cheeks just like friends do. I offered him the other seat by the end table. "Would you like some coffee?" Malcolm asked Nico.

"Yes, please. It's tiring to do shadow traveling"

Malcolm left the room, leaving Nico, Luke Perseus and I alone. The silence was eerie, it was uncomfortable. Maybe that's because of the fact that in front of me was the son of Hades, the god of the Underworld. I decided to speak up. "What brought you here?"

"It's about the Oracle of Delphi"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It will receive a new body as its new host tomorrow. And Chiron wants you to be there"

"It's been a long time since the oracle had a _living _body host. Anyway, why does he want me there?"

"I don't know. He just told me to come and to tell you to come too"

"But, I couldn't leave my son behind. Malcolm is going to an important case tomorrow"

"Oh, the rumors are true. You already have a son. And your husband is a lawyer or something?"

"Yes, he is. He top notched the bar exam"

"Just like what you would anticipate from a child of Athena. By the way, where's your son?"

"Over there"

I pointed at the kid who was sleeping at my bed. He was smiling in his sleep. I bet that he's having dreams about monsters again. He always dreams of that. Oftentimes, he would tell me how he held a bronze sword in one hand and how he slew those monsters he dreamt of into dust. Those things reminded me of someone – Percy.

Nico stared at him for a long time. His face had an expression of shock. I wondered why. "What's the matter, Nico?" I asked him.

He turned his view to me. "I-It's P-Percy", truly, he was surprised.

"Oh yes, his name is Luke Perseus, so you can call him Percy"

"No, it's something different"

"Ah, maybe it's because he has the same hair as Percy"

"Maybe"

I was not satisfied with his reply. I felt that there was still something perplexing in his mind. "Anyway, I think you really need to come", he changed the topic.

Arguing with him won't do any good. He might send me straight to his father's palace. "But how? With my son left behind, I couldn't"

"That's no problem. Bring him with you"

"But no mortals are allowed inside camp"

"Unless you grant them permission to enter"

"But if Chiron knows-"

Before I could continue, Nico tossed a golden coin to the small fountain beside my bed. It was a golden drachma. "Oh, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering", Nico spoke as the coin vanished.

The mini-fountain was making a mist where light bent into a rainbow. He was making an Iris message... to Chiron.

"Chiron, Camp Half-Blood"

The mist shook. Then, a centaur appeared in the mist, like a hologram. He was my mentor, the trainer of heroes – Chiron. "Nico! What made you Iris-message with me?" Chiron asked over the mist.

"Annabeth has something to tell you", Nico pushed his chair away so that I will be in Chiron's view.

"Umm...H-hi, Chiron", I spoke with hesitation. It was the first time after a long time that I would see him.

"Annabeth, is that you? Look how you'd grown! What's it you want to tell me?"

"Can I bring my son to camp tomorrow? I can't leave him behind with no one to take a look on him"

"Oh, I heard you had a son. So it's true. Well, okay, bring him with you but just this time... just _this_ time"

"O-okay, Chiron, thanks"

"Be here before sunrise. That's when Apollo will arrive to carry on with the ritual"

"Yes, I will. Bye, Chiron"

"See you tomorrow, Annabeth"

Chiron waved his hand and he disappeared. The Iris message was done. I turned to look at Nico. Chiron told me to be there before sunrise and it's the evening already. We need to get there now. "Umm, Nico, how are we supposed to get there before sunrise? It would be a long travel"

"No problem, come with me. Bring Percy, I mean Luke Perseus", he bolted up and headed for the door.

I went to my bed and carried the sleeping Luke Perseus into my arms. As we reached the door, Malcolm entered my room. Nico bumped onto him. The cup of coffee fell to the floor together with my husband. "I'm sorry Malcolm", Nico made a quick apology and continued walking to the stairs.

"Honey, we need to get to Camp Half-Blood. I'm bringing my son with me since you have an important case to attend tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll be back by tomorrow evening", I briefly explained to my husband.

"I see, take care", he stumbled up and picked the broken pieces of ceramics on the floor.

I kissed my husband on the cheeks and went to follow Nico downstairs.

By the time I reached the ground floor, he was already outside, in the backyard. I rushed to him.

"You're too fast", I panted out of exhaustion.

"Sorry"

He sounded a whistle. The sound made me remember of the time when Percy called Blackjack and Porkpie so that we could reach the ground safely. It was the last time I saw Percy alive.

I half hoped that Blackjack would come but I'm afraid I was wrong. A huge creature jumped on the fence instead and went beside Nico. He licked his master's head. "Good girl", Nico patted the creature's enormous head.

It was a hellhound, and I think I remember her. "Mrs. O'Leary!" I yelled.

"Yes", Nico confirmed my guess.

"Are we going to ride onto him like a horse?"

"Sort of, but we're going to shadow travel"

Mrs. O'Leary walked towards me. I thought that she would lick me just like what she did to Nico but instead, he licked Luke Perseus who was still on my arms. With that, my son woke up. He looked straight at the hellhound's eyes. I thought that my son would scream his lungs out but no, he didn't. He smiled and hugged the creature's head. It was as if he was hugging a big Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy.

I let my son stand on the ground as Mrs. O'Leary continued licking him. Luke Perseus giggled with delight. He looked towards me and said, "Mommy, this is the big monster in my dreams! I always play fetch with her!"

"I see", I was not surprised by that because he always dreams of monsters. But still, there's something that surprised me. I didn't know that he can see clearly through the Mist, "So, Luke, (I call him Luke instead of Percy) you can clearly see that monster?"

"Oh yes, mom!" he grinned.

I fixed my stare to Nico. He was looking straight at my eyes too. 'I didn't know he can see through the mist', I mouthed.

He nodded, but there was shock in his expression – the same expression he had when he first saw my son. I wondered why. "Luke Perseus?" he called my son's attention.

My son saw him. It was his first time to see Nico. I thought that he would be surprised because Nico knew his name but again, I was wrong. "Oh, hey, you look like the kid I always see in my dreams! You always play a game about the Greek gods and goddesses. I forgot what it was called. Oh! I remember! It was Mythomagic!" my son exclaimed.

"I don't play that stuff anymore"

"I see. What's your name again? I think I called you Nico in my dreams before"

"Oh yes, Nico is my name"

"So you're true? But how could I dream of you? It's my first time to see you"

Nico did not reply. I was struck by my son's words. I didn't know that he also dreamed of Nico. And what's worse, he knew his name! What could that mean? I don't know.

"I-I don't know. Anyway, please hop on that hellhound together with your mom", Nico strayed off Luke Perseus' question, "And once you're on her, tell her to bring you to Camp Half-Blood, understood?"

"Are we shadow travelling?"

I was surprised even more when I heard my son ask that question. Judging by his expression, Nico was also surprised. "Y-Yes", he had shock in his tone.

"Oh, that's cool!" my son was delighted by the idea, "I thought I would only experience it in dreams"

He eagerly hopped onto Mrs. O'Leary. I followed him. He was smiling when he whispered to the hellhound's ears, "To Camp Half-Blood"

And with those words, Mrs. O'Leary headed to our house's wall. I felt that we were going to crash but we didn't. We went _through_ the wall. Everything was dark. And the next time I saw light, we were next to a pine tree – the tree that strengthened the magical borders of the camp.

We were back at Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	2. I wasn't told anything

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
_Return of the Lost Hero_**

**A/N:** Before anything else, I'm warning you, this contains OOC-ness and may contain AU-ness. Please bear with it, and just enjoy reading. Also, I would like to say that I appreciate all your reviews. Thanks. You're my motivation to pursue with this sequel. By the way, this would be in Annabeth's Point of view.

* * *

**CHAPTER II - I wasn't told anything**

The travel was like an instant. It was scary. When I looked at my hands, they were clutching the hellhound's fur very tightly. I was perspiring cold sweat. I looked at my son. He didn't look as much as scared as me, though I can feel he's not that okay. "Luke?" I was worried, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, mom", his voice was trembling.

"Don't worry, we're already here"

But I sense that he wasn't paying his attention to me. He had his eyes fixed on the pine tree when he spoke, "Th-That tree... I always see it in my dreams. That hill too!"

He pointed at the pine tree and at Half-Blood Hill. I felt my jaw drop. I didn't know that he dreams of Camp Half-Blood. What's going on? It seems that he's dreaming everything that happened in my life. Or is it in my life or Percy's life? Don't tell me-

"We better meet with Chiron now. Maybe he'll let us stay in a guest room", Nico interrupted my thoughts.

"Okay", I jumped off of Mrs. O'Leary and helped my son get down the hellhound.

Nico and I passed through the magical borders. I told my son to wait outside the border until I tell him to proceed since mortals aren't allowed inside the camp.

The moment I stepped my feet across the border, I spoke, "I, Annabeth Chase, am allowing you, Luke Perseus Charlesworth (**A/N** I searched for Malcolm's surname but I just couldn't find it so I invented one!), to enter Camp Half-Blood and pass through its magical borders"

After saying that, I motioned my son to come in. He walked one step through the border. His foot made it through. He then ran towards me. "Mommy! I did it!" he yelled in excitement.

"Now, let's hurry", Nico told me.

"Yeah", we started sprinting to the Big House.

The Big House was still the same four-story house I used to see almost every day of my teenage life – the house where Chiron and Mr. D reside. On the attic is the Oracle of Delphi which was imprisoned inside a mummy. It was because of a curse. Percy told that to me before. Hades cursed the Oracle. It shall not receive any living host since Nico's mom died. I wondered if the curse had been lifted. "Umm... Nico?" I decided to ask him about that.

"Yes?"

"Isn't it that there's a curse that forbids the Oracle from having any mortal and living host?"

"You're right, but it has already been lifted. My dad did it after the war"

"I see. By the way, who's going to be the new host?"

"I'm not telling you now. It'll be a surprise"

We reached the footsteps of the Big House's front porch. Nico went up to the front door and knocked. "Chiron?" he called, "This is Nico"

The doors slammed open. There inside the house was Chiron, the centaur and trainer of demigods. His horse tail had grown a bit, and I guess he became furrier since the last time I saw him. That was about a decade ago. "Oh, you arrived fast!" he was a bit surprised to see us early, "It's only 7:00 in the evening"

"I guess we couldn't wait", Nico chuckled.

"Come in Nico, Annabeth and... Percy?" there was bewilderment in his tone when Chiron said 'Percy'. Does he know something I don't know? No, he just thinks it's Percy because they really look similar with each other.

"His name is Luke Perseus", I explained to Chiron, "So, you can call him Per-"

"CHIRON!" my son shouted in all of a sudden.

He ran to the centaur and hugged one of his legs. "This is great! Everything in my dreams is coming true!"

"He can see through the Mist?" Chiron asked me.

"Yeah", I answered, "We just discovered it a while ago, when he first saw Mrs. O'Leary"

"Ah, well, as I said before, come in. It's cold outside"

Luke Perseus released him and Chiron walked towards the living room. My son still had his gaze on the centaur, probably fascinated by it. Somehow, I felt that Chiron knew something that he didn't want to tell me. I wondered what it was but I didn't bother to ask. I knew he wouldn't answer.

I sat on the couch. Luke Perseus was on my right. Nico sat beside him. "So Chiron, who will be the new Oracle of Delphi?" I instead asked a different question than what is in my mind.

"Well, I don't want to spoil it to you until the ritual tomorrow. You'll meet her; he'll be coming with Apollo"

"I see; it seems that I know this person"

"Oh yes, you do. But I don't know if you're friends or not"

He winked. I didn't understand what he meant. Could this be that the new host and I are not that close with each other? Or we just hated each other? Could it be Clarisse? Stupid me, it couldn't be her. Who then will be the new host?

"You better let your son sleep. Little kids need lots of sleep", Chiron told me as if he wants me out of the picture because he'll be having a secret talk with Nico who became silent since we entered the house. It's as if he also had matters to discuss with Chiron

"I prepared the guest room there for you already", Chiron pointed to the guest room's door.

I obeyed him although I wanted to ask him why he seems like he's keeping a secret from me. I stood up and held Luke Perseus' left hand. "Thanks, Chiron", I turned to look at my son, "Come with me, you need to sleep now"

"But mom, I want to talk with the centaur guy!" he was still fascinated by the sight of Chiron.

"Don't complain, you need to sleep"

He started crying. I didn't bother. I carried him on my arms and walked to the room that Chiron directed us into.

I laid my son on the bed. He was still crying. "You will talk to him tomorrow, okay?" I tried to stop him from crying, "He's going to sleep now too"

"Okay, mom, promise me that I'll have a talk with him tomorrow", my son mumbled, "Swear to me by the... uh... what's that again? Trees... leaves... aha! Swear to me by the River Sticks. That's it"

I felt like lightning had struck me. How come my little boy knows as much as this? There's something going on in here. Well, at least he thought it was _sticks_ and not _Styx_. "You don't use that with little promises like this", I told him the truth.

"But mom, if you don't do it, you might just break your promise. Swear to it by the Sticks!" he argued logically.

Maybe Sticks won't have the same effect as Styx so I decided to do it. But as I finished my promise, thunder rolled in the sky. I was shocked. "There, you did it mom!" my son exclaimed.

What in Hades is this? I just swore on the River Styx that I'll let my son talk to Chiron tomorrow! And what's worse, my son knew how it's supposed to be done. I'm going nuts now.

"Mom, you okay?" my son looked at me affectionately.

"Yeah, just sleep now, okay?" I was zapped back to my sense by my son.

"Yes, mom" he closed his eyes.

As soon as he closed his eyes, I knew that he was already asleep. I stood slowly from the bed so that I won't wake him up. I tiptoed to the door and pressed my ears on it. I need to know something, and Chiron knows _that_ something. I'm eavesdropping on his conversation with Nico.

But all I can hear were footsteps. And those footsteps are approaching my room every second. I hurried to the study table. I was already sitting when the door sprung open. I turned to look at the door. "Nico, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Nothing much, I'm just checking how you and your son are doing", he replied as if he was making an alibi, "And you? What are you doing there?"

"Just thinking of something"

"You better sleep now. Apollo will be arriving early tomorrow"

"Yeah, as you wish"

I made a sarcastic tone. I wanted to ask him what he and Chiron know about my son. But I decided not to. Tonight wasn't the time. Maybe I can ask him tomorrow, after the ritual.

I proceeded to the bed and sat. I saw Nico heading to the closet and getting something from there. It was a sleeping bag. He placed it on the floor beside our bed. "Nico, what do you think are you doing?" I asked with something like an angry voice.

"Preparing my sleeping bag?" he replied sarcastically as what I did to him seconds ago, "You see, Chiron told me to sleep with you"

"Why?"

"I don't know to him"

"Okay"

I wasn't completely contented with his answer. Truly, they're hiding something from me. I just told myself '_Don't worry; you'll know the answer tomorrow'_.

I lied on the bed and closed my eyes. It took me seconds before I drifted off to sleep, and into dreamland.

There in my dreams was a girl with short red hair. She was wearing a long Greek robe. I heard a man's voice from behind. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, my Lord", the girl answered.

"We only got an hour left before the ritual. There's no backing out when we're there already, okay?"

"I understand, my Lord. I will pursue with this"

"All right, you better get on my sports car now"

That's when I realized it. The man in the background is Apollo, the god of prophecies. And that girl with the long robe might be the new body host. Somehow, she looks familiar to me. But I can't remember her name. Who can she be?

Then my dream shifted. In front of me was a palace made of corals and sea weeds. I was under the ocean. I just don't know where particularly in the ocean.

Someone was talking. His voice sounded familiar. "Do you think it'll be our end now?"

That someone was talking to a sea creature. I looked closely and I realized that the creature was a hippocampus. But the animal did not reply to the man who's talking to her. Her face just showed an expression of sadness. "Since brother died, father had been like this", the speaker continued, "The different marine sanctuaries across the world are already dying"

The hippocampus frowned. I turned to look closely at the man who's talking to the creature. I gasped when I saw that he only had one eye. He's a Cyclops! But who is this Cyclops? You see, there are lots of Cyclops under the sea who work at forges to make weapons

"I hope dad gets well soon, or everything in the ocean will die", he patted the hippocampus like what masters do to their pets.

"Hey, you there! Get back to work", somebody shouted from nowhere.

"Yes, I'm coming", the Cyclops bellowed back, "Goodbye for now Rainbow"

Wait a second; did the Cyclops call the hippocampus Rainbow? There's only one Cyclops in the world that calls a hippocampus Rainbow – Tyson, Percy's half brother.

It seems that there's something wrong with Poseidon, god of the sea, father of Tyson and Percy. He told the hippocampus that marine sanctuaries around the world are dying. The news said that everything happening in the seas today – fish kills, whales and dolphins being carried away to the sea shore, and coral bleaching – is brought about by global warming. But I think there's another reason behind all of these. Something is wrong with Poseidon, and that disrupts the lives of creatures under the ocean.

Somebody nudged my shoulder. I opened my eyes. Sun rays were already entering the room. I turned to one side to see who woke me up. It was Nico. "Annabeth, the sun god is here, together with the new host", he told me.

I hurriedly went out of bed. I realized that Luke Perseus was not beside me anymore. He was _gone_! "Where's Luke?" I asked Nico.

"He's talking to Chiron", Nico answered as he walked to the mirror and combed his hair. I didn't know he combed his hair. You know, it's always messy, "He told me that you swore by the River Styx last night. You promised him that you'll let him talk with Chiron by the morning"

"That was supposed to be River Sticks, as in wooden sticks", I managed to smile a bit and proceeded to the adjoined bath room to wash my face and fix myself.

"Please hurry, or you'll miss the ritual", Nico shouted over the other end of the door.

"Yes, I will", I yelled back.

"I'm off now; see you at the front porch, Annabeth"

"Yeah"

I stared at the reflection on the mirror inside the comfort room. I was staring at my own gray eyes. I thought about my dream. _'There's something wrong going on under the sea'_, I told myself, _'I need to tell this to Chiron after the ritual'_.

I remembered Nico telling me to hurry. I washed my face and combed my hair. I left the room and proceeded to the front porch. Demigods were already there, and Hunters too! There was Thalia, leading the Hunters. She smiled at me when she saw me and I smiled back. Then I saw Nico with Chiron on the opposite direction. Luke Perseus was on Chiron's back, as if he's riding a pony. I walked towards them.

Apollo had come to the scene. Beside him was the girl in my dreams, the soon-to-be new mortal host of the oracle. I stared at her face. I suddenly knew who she was. She's no other than Rachel Elizabeth Dare - the mortal who helped us through the labyrinth since she can see clearly through the Mist.

I remembered how Percy told me about his dreams. He told me before that he saw one of Rachel's paintings wherein half-bloods were storming the Empire State Building, as if going to a war before it really happened. She also had different other visions that came true during the war. It seems that she can somehow _see_ the future.

"Now, Rachel, I want you to enter this house and proceed to the attic. You will meet the previous host there. Once you're there, tell her the oath", Apollo spoke.

"Yes, my Lord", Rachel made a look at me and then looked sideways at once. I think she despised me of... what? Percy? She's jealous because Percy had been mine, and is _still_ mine? I had crazy thoughts in my mind which made me grin.

Rachel walked towards the front door of the Big House and closed it once she had entered. We all waited for her to return, if she will be able to return.

After a minute or so, green light flashed from the window at the attic. We were all surprised. Percy had told me his dream before about May Castellan. She tried to be a host of the Oracle but unfortunately, the curse hasn't been lifted by that time. That's why she became somewhat crazy after she tried to be the new host. She would suddenly fall to her knees. Her eyes would glow green and she would speak of his son's fate. Percy told me how terrible she looked like.

I thought that Rachel would experience the same fate as May Castellan. I looked at Chiron. There was worry on his face. Even Nico feels worried a little bit. The sight of them worried me too.

The door creaked open. Rachel came out. There was nothing different with her. She still had her short red hair and long Greek robe. _'It didn't work out'_ I told my mind. But Apollo spoke differently, "May I present to you, the new carrier of the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare"

Everyone applauded and cheered. I joined them. Chiron breathed with relief, so did Nico. "Let me express my happiness by making a short piece of poetry", Apollo cleared his throat, "You want-"

But before he could continue with his haiku, Rachel's eyes glowed green. We all gasped. Nico covered his mouth, his eyes had widened. I remembered May Castellan. Nico might have remembered her too again. I thought that Rachel is going to end up like May Castellan but she didn't. She just spoke,

"_Three half-bloods shall answer the call  
To storm and waves, the world must fall.  
The oceans will wither, and soon they'll die  
Every creature on Earth surely will cry.  
A hero returns from the Gates of Death,  
An oath will be kept with a final breath"_

After saying those words, Rachel collapsed to the ground. Chiron rushed to her but Apollo stopped him and said, "It's okay. She has just given the new Great Prophecy"

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	3. We begin a new Quest

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
_Return of the Lost Hero_**

**A/N:** Thanks for all the inspiring reviews and message you, my avid readers, sent me. They truly motivate me to continue updating no matter what. I don't want to make you wait any longer for another chapter. Here's the Third Chapter which I dedicate to all of you :D Enjoy (For new readers, this may contain OOC and AU. This chapter is in Annabeth's POV)

* * *

**CHAPTER III - We begin a new Quest**

The half-bloods on the ground looked at one another. They were terrified. It's only been about a decade since the war between Kronos and the Olympians and now, another Great Prophecy is to be fulfilled.

Apollo made a glance at us. There were whispers everywhere. The atmosphere has been filled with terror. He tried to ease it, "Um... People, this doesn't mean that it will happen tomorrow. The last Great Prophecy occurred after seventy years. This could happen after a lifetime"

The whisperings stopped. Everyone was silent. Somehow, the demigods were relieved by Apollo's words. "Okay, everyone", Chiron clapped his hands as he spoke, "Let's proceed to the dining pavilion. We'll be having breakfast now"

The crowd started to disperse. Some raced against each other towards the pavilion. I guess they're already hungry. Apollo, Chiron, Luke, Nico, Thalia, Rachel and I were left at the scene.

Rachel opened her eyes and started getting up. Apollo assisted her. "Wh-What happened?" Rachel rubbed her eyes.

"You just said the Great Prophecy", Apollo told her.

"I just told the what? The Great Prophecy?"

"Yes, but don't worry. It won't happen in near time", Apollo turned to Chiron, "I need to go now. Goodbye for now"

Apollo waved his hands and headed to his sports car. We turned our backs as it shone brightly and roared high to the sky.

We all walked to the Dining Pavilion in silence. All I can hear is our footsteps rustling on the grass.

Chiron offered us to eat with him in the front table. We all agreed except Thalia who wanted to eat with her fellow Hunters. She kissed Nico's and my cheeks before departing for the Artemis table. She also hugged Luke Perseus who was delighted by it.

I helped my son to his seat. I sat next to him while Nico sat next to me on the other side. Rachel sat beside Chiron. I was about to pick the fork when my son spoke in great joy, "Mommy, that's Thalia, right?"

Chiron, who was eating, choked a bit. He coughed, "I'm sorry"

I turned to look at my son. "Yes", I answered him.

I looked at Nico who was now eating silently. He noticed me. "What?" he asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Well, maybe it seemed to him that I was looking on the way he ate but I wasn't. I remembered that I told myself last night that I would ask Nico or Chiron what they knew about my son after ritual. And that's the reason why I was staring at Nico. But somehow, I felt that I can't do it. Instead, I asked a different question, "I was wondering, where is Mr. D?"

I forgot to mention it but I haven't seen Dionysus, god of wine, since last night. The last time this happened was before the war. He ventured to different places across the globe to persuade the minor gods to support them. Somehow, not being able to see him will scare you. 'Are the gods preparing for another battle?' I wanted to ask Nico.

Nico laughed a little to avoid choking. "Annabeth, when was the last time you checked your calendar?"

"Yesterday", I tried to remember what the calendar read yesterday.

It was December 20 yesterday, and it's the 21st today – the Winter Solstice. The gods are having their Council today. Why did I forget about that? Foolish me.

Nico turned to his meal. Somehow, I felt that he sensed that I realized the date today and that the gods are in their Council. I was partly ashamed by this. I felt my cheeks turning pink for a while before I started digging in my food.

As I looked at the campers, I saw them falling in line and approaching the hearth. They were doing the meal offering to the gods. I miss that time, when I was still a camper like them. But most of all, I miss the time that I was together with Percy. Camp Half-Blood reminds me of him. It seems that his memory is haunting me everywhere in this camp. I was feeling paranoid now.

"Annabeth?" I saw Nico look at me with a worried expression, "You look pale"

"Ah, it's nothing", I lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, just continue with your meal"

"Can't you see? I'm done"

I looked at his plate. Truly, it was swept clean, as if Nico ate even the tiniest bit of his food.

He bolted up, ready to leave when I clutched his shirt, preventing his departure. I felt the urge that this is the right time to talk to him. "I have something to tell you", I told him.

"I'll wait for you by the sea shore", he replied.

"Okay"

I released him and he walked away. I continued finishing my meal while pondering. 'Why of all places did he choose the sea shore?' I thought, 'Only Percy likes that place because he can think freely and properly there. Could this be that this has something to do with Percy? Is my son Percy?'

I hurried eating. After completing the meal, I walked to Chiron and spoke to his ears, "I'm going for a stroll by the sea shore. Please watch over my son"

Chiron looked at me. He didn't speak for a moment. "Yes, I will", he finally said after about two seconds.

I headed to the sea shore. The fact that I was going to visit the sea shore again made my mood bright. As I thought of the pounding waves, I increased my walking speed. When I reached the shore, I gasped in surprise.

It wasn't the same anymore. Dried kelp covered the shore. The sea was not in its original blue-green color but it was brown, as if it was coffee with creamer.

I saw Nico. He was sitting on a big coral. It wasn't there fourteen years ago. (**A/N:** After thinking for a while, I finally decided that it should be fourteen years since the previous war, and Luke Perseus is now six years old) That coral might have been washed to the shore from the depths of the sea.

I suddenly remembered my dream about Tyson. He was speaking about the ocean. It was dying. And its 'dying' has something to do with Poseidon. There's something wrong with the god of the sea.

Nico turned his back and saw me. He stood and spoke, "Surprised? Well, the sea has been like this ever since Percy died. It might be due to Poseidon's grief over the death of his _favorite_ son. Anyway, what's it that you want to tell me?"

I walked towards him. I chose to speak of my dream instead of what I intended to ask him. "I had a dream last night, about Tyson. He was talking to a hippocampus. He said that lots of sanctuaries under the ocean are dying. There's something wrong about Poseidon. It might be because of what you said"

He was looking at the horizons as he listened to me. "If this will continue, the entire world will suffer. If the oceans die, soon, the rivers will die and so will the other bodies of water. After them, the land will be the next. You see, this is a chain reaction", he turned and looked at me, "We need to stop this"

"But how?"

"Your son"

"What's it about my son? He's only a mortal-"

I raised my voice but he rested his hands on my lips, interrupting me, "_A hero returns from the Gates of Death"_

That was the last line of the new Great Prophecy. I was puzzled. Why did Nico tell me that? Could it be that the prophecy is now happening? "But the prophecy, it's supposed to happen after a lifetime!"

"Nonsense!" a voice from behind spoke, "It's at hand already"

Nico and I searched for the source of the voice. It was Rachel, the new host of the Oracle. She was walking towards us, her hands clasped on her chest. "I can feel that it has started to happen six years ago"

"But Apollo said-" I tried to argue with her but as soon as I did, she interrupted.

"I didn't want to tell it in front of him. He would disagree. Something has been bothering me for years. I was constantly dreaming of childbirth. And the woman in my dream who's laboring is no other than you, Annabeth"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Annabeth", Nico said, "Luke Perseus is Percy himself"

"What!"

I was surprised. I started to slap Nico randomly. He held my hands tight to stop me. But I was still shocked. I couldn't believe it. My son is Percy? Curse the Fates. They're playing on me. "No it couldn't be"

"Nico is right, Annabeth", Rachel was now beside Nico, "Your son is the one who you longed for through the years. He is the hero that has returned from the Gates of Death, from the Underworld"

I stopped slapping at Nico. I covered my face with my hands. I knelt on the ground and started crying. Nico sat beside me and gave me a back rub. "Annabeth, I'm sorry I kept the truth from you for quite a while", he hugged me, "Chiron told me last night not to tell you but I just couldn't resist. I know that you're already suspecting. It would be better if I tell you early"

I listened to him but I continued crying. After some time, I realized that his shirt has been drenched with my tears. He hadn't released me from his hug. It felt awkward. I pulled away from him. "I-I'm sorry", Nico looked downwards, "W-We need... We need to tell Chiron about what Rachel had said"

He stood at once and sprinted to the Big House. Rachel helped me stand. I just realized that I was sitting on dried kelp for like minutes already. "I apologize for what I did to you before the ritual", she said.

She was talking about her 'looking-sideways-as-if-she-envied-me' act. I hugged her. "Let's go", I spoke.

We walked together to the Big House. As we reached the front door, we entered at once and saw Nico and Chiron sitting silently in the living room. Both of them looked at us. "So you have something to tell me?" Chiron asked Rachel and I.

"Yes", I walked to the couch and sat beside Nico. Rachel settled beside me.

"What is it?" Chiron asked.

"The prophecy, it's happening, Chiron", Rachel answered with confidence.

"How can you say that? The god of prophecies himself told us that it wouldn't happen in like a lifetime or so"

"Please listen to me. I've been having visions in six years already. And I know that it has something to do with the prophecy. The events the Great Prophecy foretold started happening six years ago, when Luke Perseus was born"

"By the way, Chiron", I suddenly remembered my son when Rachel spoke of his name, "Where's my son?"

"Ah, he's in the Poseidon cabin. Percy's things have been there since his death - the Minotaur horn, the shield and other miscellaneous stuff. I think your son is enjoying there. Thalia is watching over him", he turned to Rachel after answering my question, "Anyway, that's a point. But still, the other things in the prophecy might happen in the far future"

"What? You will wait for the _lost hero_ to die until the end of the world begins?"

"What do you mean by _end of the world_, Rachel?" fear spread to my nerves as she said that phrase.

"_To storm and waves, the world must fall. The oceans will wither, and soon they'll die; every creature on Earth surely will cry",_ she replied with three lines from the Great Prophecy before turning back to Chiron, "See, you got it there. The oceans are already dying"

"She's right, Chiron", Nico finally made a talk on this matter, "We need to act now before it's too late"

"Fine, but how will you do it?" Chiron posed a question that I myself don't know how to answer.

"Annabeth told me that she dreamed of Tyson", Nico answered with determination in his voice, "Tyson was saying that there's something wrong with Poseidon, and that might be affecting the entire ocean. Poseidon may still be mourning over Pecy's death. We need to make him happy"

"How?"

"Percy. He needs to see Percy"

"What are you saying? Do you mean Luke Perseus? Poseidon wouldn't believe that he's Percy. And it's too dangerous, he is still a kid"

"But Chiron, this is the only way. Besides, I know something that might convince Poseidon"

"And what is that?"

"Trust me in this Chiron, please"

Nico held Chiron's hands. Nico looked like as if he's pleading to Chiron. Chiron felt surprised at Nico's actions. He sighed, "Okay, fine, I will trust you. But if something happens-"

"I'll take the blame, Chiron. Now, please grant us a quest"

"Yes, I will. I'm granting you a quest and you'll be the leader. So who'll join you?"

"I will, Chiron", I presented myself.

"Good, there's two of us now", Nico smiled at me.

"I'll join too", Rachel offered.

"No, Rachel", Nico declined her, "The prophecy talked of three half-bloods answering the call. Unfortunately you _aren't_ a half blood"

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry for that", Rachel dropped her head.

I patted her shoulder. "It's okay, Rachel. You have been a great help to us already, since you were the one who told us that the Prophecy is already occurring. If you hadn't told us, the world might have been plunged into the oceans after a year"

Rachel smiled although her eyes shone with tears. I hugged her again. "So, who could be the other one?"

"I will be that other one", the door opened.

There on the door was Thalia, my son was holding her hands. "I'll join you", she spoke.

"Thalia!" Chiron was surprised by her _sudden_ appearance, "How long have you been there?"

"Luke saw his mom enter the Big House before so he told me to follow her. When we reached the door, you were having a conversation so we eavesdropped on you"

"I-I am Percy?" my son had shock in his expression.

I looked down. I didn't know what to tell him. Nico stood and approached him. He knelt in front of my son and touched his face. "I'm sorry Luke if I hadn't told you earlier", he said in a soft tone, "Yes, you are Percy, the _lost_ hero"

I closed my eyes. I expected him to cry uncontrollably like what kids do. But I was wrong. He grinned. Delight replaced his shock. "COOL!" he shouted, "I am the hero in my dreams! That's very cool!"

He hugged Nico and jumped like crazy, as if he had won the World Cup. "Anyway, Nico, promise me that Luke Perseus will not be harmed", Chiron spoke seriously.

Nico, who was still kneeling in front of my son, turned to look at Chiron. "Yes, Chiron", he promised, "I swear by the River Styx that I will protect him and every one in my team"

With that, thunder clapped in the sky. The promise has been bound by the River Styx.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	4. We plan a ride on Atlas

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
_Return of the Lost Hero_**

**A/N:** Finally, after days, weeks, and maybe even months, I now present to you the fourth chapter ^_^ Enjoy reading! (For new readers, this may contain OOC and AU. This chapter is in Annabeth's POV)

* * *

**CHAPTER IV - We plan a ride on Atlas**

"Would you please excuse me for a while? I'll be training the demigods now", Chiron galloped out of the Big House in a hurry.

Luke Perseus ran towards me and hugged me. He raised his head and looked at me. "I can't believe it, mom", he exclaimed, "I can't believe that I'm that _greatest_ hero of all time that you always spoke of!"

I blushed. My cheeks turned bright pink. I buried my head into my son's shoulders to hide it. I heard Nico standing up. "The _greatest _hero, eh?" he spoke sarcastically, "Did your mom read you a book about Percy, Luke?"

My son shifted his face to Nico's direction. "No, mom told me she memorized all of the stories", he replied.

"That's cool"

I released my son from my _deep_ hug. I was not blushing now. I carried my son on my lap. Thalia sat on my left. Nico sat on the floor in front of us, on the other end of the center table. "We need to go to the Underworld", he said with courage in his tone.

I didn't know why we needed to go there. Somehow, I felt that we would do something dangerous. That may be the reason why Chiron was worried about my son. He knew this all along, that Nico would do something dangerous in his father's kingdom. "The Underworld is a dangerous place", Rachel spoke.

"Don't worry Rachel, I'm a son of Hades", Nico replied.

"But still, it would be dangerous for the others"

"No, I will protect them with all my might. I swore by the River Styx"

"Nico", Thalia looked worried, "What if, what if you die in the process of protecting us?"

"That will make me a hero, right?" Nico chuckled, "But don't worry, I won't die. I know what I'm doing"

"Okay, so what's your plan?"

"We'll enter the Underworld through the entrance in Los Angeles, then we'll-"

"Wait a minute, did you say Los Angeles? Isn't that very far from here? We don't have enough money to take a ride by train or plane to Hollywood. Let's just use the entrance of Orpheus"

"We can't"

"Why?"

"Look, that door will lead you somewhere near my dad's palace. If he sees us, we're busted. We're supposed to go to the River Acheron and Styx. If we enter by the Door of Orpheus, we'll need to pass through Cerberus. That will be tough"

I remember my experience with Percy and Grover before about Cerberus. You'll not notice the guard dog unless you are like a few feet from him already. To pass through the Gates of the Underworld, we threw him a rubber ball. Each of his three heads wanted the ball but only one got it. They fought on the ownership of the ball and we took that opportunity to enter. "So how are we supposed to get to Los Angeles?"

"That's something I don't know"

Nico had disappointment in his face. He sighed but I had something in my mind. "By Atlas Air", I answered Thalia's question.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked me.

"We'll ride a plane of the Atlas Air"

"But we don't have money to ride a plane!"

"A golden drachma for each of us will do"

"Mortals don't accept drachmas"

"Who said that we're going to negotiate with mortals? You see, I found out many things on Daedalus' laptop. And one of them is the Atlas Air. The receptionist there is an automaton created by him. Present her a drachma for each passenger and off, a special plane will get you to your destination. Daedalus got the airlines' namesake from the Titan who upheld the sky, and you can go anywhere by travelling in the sky"

"I see. That's a good idea"

"I agree", Nico nodded. He's back to his determined self now, "So where's that Atlas Air?"

"In the John F. Kennedy Airport", I answered.

"We better get going now"

"Wait, we haven't packed our things yet. We need to get back to Manhattan"

I remembered what I told my husband before we left for camp. I promised him that Luke and I will be back by the afternoon. I need to fulfill that promise.

"But that will take time", Nico didn't want my idea of going home for a while, "Let's just tell him to meet us at the Airport. Iris message him, Annabeth"

"There's no rainbow anywhere", I replied as if I didn't like Nico's suggestion to just have an Iris message with Malcolm than to come home.

"There's one in the Poseidon cabin", Thalia told me, "A small fountain there is creating a small rainbow"

"Let's go there", I realized that they don't want me to go home since it will waste time so I agreed with the idea of Iris messaging my husband instead of seeing him.

I stood and so did the others except Rachel. "I'll be staying here", she smiled.

"Thank you for everything, Rachel", I told her before I headed out of the Big House.

We walked together towards the cabins. I hadn't seen that place in years already. I wondered if something has changed.

My jaw dropped when we arrived at the area. There were numerous cabins everywhere. More cabins surrounded the cabins of the twelve Olympian gods. I wondered if the Hermes cabin got overloaded that they needed to build more cabins. "What happened here?" I asked Nico, shock was my expression.

"Since the death of Ethan Nakamura, the Olympian gods decided to build cabins for the minor gods if they had children in the camp", Nico looked specifically at one cabin, "Even a cabin for my dad has been built"

I turned to look to where he was looking. It was an obsidian cabin. Bones decorated the doorposts. It possesses a dark aura that will let you know that it was Hades' cabin. "Anyway, let's proceed to the Poseidon cabin now", he continued.

We walked to the cabin where Percy used to live when he was at camp. It hasn't changed. Chiron told me a while ago that Percy's stuffs were still there, untouched by the cleaning harpies. This means that Poseidon didn't have another child since Percy. But since the last Great Prophecy was accomplished, the Big Three can now sire more children. We have a new Prophecy now and that doesn't talk about the son of the _Eldest_ gods.

This seemed wrong. Maybe Poseidon is really in grief. That's why he hadn't bothered going up to the human world and having children with mortal women. Oh, maybe he loves Mrs. Jackson so much that he doesn't want to have an affair with other ladies other than her. I smiled at that idea.

Thalia opened the door. It smelled fresh sea weed, far different from the smell of dried kelp at the shore. The minotaur horn was there, hanging beside Percy's shield. Events in our lives were engraved there by Tyson, the Cyclops half-brother of Percy. And there on the end table was the little fountain that Thalia talked about. It looked exactly the same as the one in my room. Where did I acquire that fountain in my room again?

Oh yeah, Hermes, the messenger of the gods, sent that to me. It was from Poseidon. Poseidon gave that as a gift to me on the first anniversary of Percy's death. I didn't know why he gave me that fountain. Maybe it's because another one is in the Poseidon cabin – in Percy's room at Camp.

Thalia walked to me and held my hands. She placed something on my palm. It was a golden drachma. "Go, Annabeth", she told me, "We'll just wait outside so you can have some _private_ talk with your husband"

She winked at me before leaving. She held Luke Perseus' hand as she walked out of the cabin. Nico was holding my son's other hand. They looked like a family. I chuckled at that.

I proceeded to the fountain on the end table. I tossed a golden drachma to the waters and whispered, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering"

Before the coin touched the water, it shook and vanished. "Malcolm Charlesworth, Manhattan"

Nothing happened for like a few seconds before the rainbow shimmered and I saw my husband in his office at work. He turned his desk chair and saw the Iris message. He gasped in surprise. "Annabeth!" he exclaimed.

"Dear", I spoke, "I'm sorry if I surprised you. We couldn't get home today because Chiron insists that we stay here for a while for old times' sake. Please pack our things and bring it to John F. Kennedy Airport. We'll meet there. We're already here somewhere near the airport because we're waiting for Rachel Elizabeth Dare's arrival, the soon-to-be host of the Oracle"

I lied to my husband. I didn't want to tell him Nico's plan or he'll die at the spot. His expression was grim; I guess he expected us to come home by the afternoon. "I'll miss you", he said with a soft voice.

"Same here, dear, I love you", I replied tenderly, "Let's meet at the airport"

"Yes, I love you too"

I waved my hand over the rainbow and my husband's face disappeared. The Iris message is now over.

I stood and walked towards the door. I approached Nico, Thalia and Luke Perseus who were sitting on the fountain at the center of the twelve cabins of the twelve Olympians. When Nico saw me, he urged Thalia and Luke to approach me. "We need to ask a favor from Rachel", I told them what I said to my husband.

"That's better than to tell him the whole truth", Thalia nodded, "Let's tell this to Rachel now"

"No, you stay here", Nico stopped us, "I'll talk to Rachel about this. Besides, I need to pack my things now so that we can be at the airport before Malcolm arrives"

At that, Nico sprinted to the Big House. "Oh yeah, speaking of 'pack my things', I think I also need to pack my things", Thalia said, "Wait for me here"

He headed to the Artemis cabin. I sat on the edge of the fountain; Luke Perseus was on my lap. He looked at me. "Mom, can we go to Poseidon's cabin again?" he seemed as if he was begging for alms.

"Alright", I released him from my lap and held his hand as we walked back to the cabin of the god of the sea.

Inside, I saw Percy's bronze shield again. I was attracted by it.

I approached the shield and got it from the ceiling. I touched the engravings on the shield. I remembered all the times I had with Percy, be it good or bad. I burst into tears.

My son approached me and looked at me with a worried face. "What's it, mom?" he asked me.

"Nothing, my son, nothing", I lied.

Then, I realized something. The shield should have been left in San Francisco when Percy saved us. How did this _return_ to camp? I didn't know, and that doesn't matter.

I heard Thalia calling my name outside. I tapped the shield and it became a wristwatch. I wiped my tears and stood up. "Let's go", I said.

I reached for my son's hands and we went out of the Cabin. Thalia was about to enter the Poseidon Cabin. She gasped when the door suddenly opened in front of her. "I'm sorry for surprising you!" I apologized at once.

"It's okay", Thalia replied, "Nico has arranged a ride with Argus. Come on"

I carried Luke Perseus on my arms as we began to sprint towards Half-Blood Hill. From a distance, I could see a yellow cab parked beneath what used to be called Thalia's pine tree. Nico was already putting his things inside the cab when he saw us. "Faster!" he yelled, "Rachel is already on her way to the airport"

Nico went in the cab and settled on the front seat. Thalia, Luke and I sat at the passengers' seat. Luke was between Thalia and I. As soon as we were all set inside the car, the cab roared to life and ventured towards the mortal world.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	5. I fool him, he fools me

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
_Return of the Lost Hero_**

**A/N:** Months have come and go. At last, I have written the next chapter for my mini-sequel. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you the fifth chapter! xD enjoy reading (For new readers, this may contain OOC and AU. This chapter is in Annabeth's POV)

BTW, this is not to be confused with the first book of Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series - The Lost Hero. Similarities between my mini-sequel's title and the new book's title is just a mere coincidence. Stories greatly differ.

* * *

**CHAPTER V - I fool him, he fools me  
**

It was an hour-long drive from Camp Half-Blood to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Halfway during the travel, Luke asked things like, "Are we there yet?"

"Nope", I would reply to him.

"How much longer?"

"A few more minutes"

"We should have shadow traveled. It would be faster than this junk car"

After saying the word _junk_, the cab gained more speed. Argus didn't like the sound of junk being associated with his car.

As the car went to a halt in front of the Airport, we hurriedly got out. We left our baggage inside the car so that Malcolm wouldn't ask why we were carrying so many things. Nico told Argus to park the car in front of the nearby McDonald's outlet. We started walking towards the Airport. That's when I saw my husband by the airport's entrance.

He got here before us! What shall we do know? He might wonder where we had been. If we were waiting for someone, we should have been in the airport already, not wandering outside. I thought of an excuse.

We approached my husband who had his back before us. I tapped his shoulders and he turned around. He saw me and I planted a kiss on his lips. I embraced him. "Sorry to keep you waiting", I apologized.

"No, it's okay. I just arrived", he replied, "Where have you been?"

"Oh, Luke Perseus got hungry while we were waiting for Rachel so we decided to go to McDonald's"

"Ah, here, I got you a bagful of clothes and other stuff"

"Thanks dear"

"Hey! Is that Rachel?" Thalia suddenly yelled. It was part of the plan.

Nico squinted. "Yes, it's her!" he affirmed Thalia.

"Go meet her", I told Nico and Thalia, "I'll talk with Malcolm"

"Alright", Thalia said as she rushed to Rachel who acted as if she just got off from her plane.

I turned my attention to my husband. "Is it okay for you to stay long?" I asked him, wanting him to leave at once or things might get into trouble, "You have an important case, right?"

"Yes", he answered, "But I want some more time with the woman I love"

"How sweet of you"

He hugged me again. His hug was full of tenderness and affection. It felt as if this would be our last hug. Tears trickled down my eyes. "I love you", I spoke. My voice was trembling.

"I love you too. Be careful", he spoke.

"Be careful from what?"

"You're going on a quest, right?"

I was shocked. He knew I had a quest, but how? After all, he is also a son of Athena.

I pulled away from his embrace. "How did you know?" I asked with surprise on my face.

"I just guessed", came his answer, "I was testing you"

How rude of him to do that to me! I suddenly became furious. I turned my back on him and said, "You're attending an urgent hearing, correct? Leave now or you'll be late"

He did not reply for a second. My intense words might have struck him. "Yes, I will", he said in a tiny voice, "Goodbye"

I heard his footsteps fading each second. He ran away. With that, Nico, Thalia and Rachel approached me. "It seemed you had a fight" Thalia's voice sounded as if she was teasing me.

"Not really", I tried to smile, "Let's hurry"

I held Luke Perseus' arms as we walked swiftly to Argus' cab which was parked near the McDonald's outlet. Nico, Thalia and Rachel followed me.

I knocked on the driver's window. It woke up Argus. I stepped back and he went out of the cab. He gave us our belongings. "Thank you", I told him.

He did not speak, as usual. Maybe the rumor about his _tongue eyes_ is true. I slightly smiled, which I think he did notice. To prevent him from getting angry, I spoke again, "Please bring Rachel Elizabeth Dare safely to Camp Half-Blood. Thanks a lot"

He smiled. It worked.

I turned to look at Rachel. "Thanks for participating in the plan", I held her hands, "But I think it didn't quite work"

She chuckled. "No problem. When you need something, just call me. I'll be in Camp."

She hugged me. "You need to go now", she continued speaking, "Go and save us all"

"Yes, we will"

She released me from the hug. We smiled at each other before she entered the car. She made a final wave before Argus stepped on the gas pedal and the car zoomed out of our sight.

"Shall we go?" Nico asked me.

"It's your quest. You decide", I answered sarcastically.

"Then let's go"

We sprinted back to the main entrance of the airport. Nico carried my bag since I held Luke Perseus in my arms.

As we arrived at the front doors, Nico spoke, "So where's Atlas Air"

"I don't know", I replied.

Seriously, Daedalus' laptop didn't show any map that will lead us to Atlas Air. It just said that it can be found in the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Our best bet would be to ask one of the security guards. And that was what Thalia did.

"Excuse me", she began courteously, "I think we're lost. Could you tell us where Atlas Air is?"

"Please walk this way ma'am. A sign saying Atlas Air will be seen on your right", he pointed to the left hallway. (**A/N:** I've never been to the airport so please forgive me if there are geographical inaccuracies)

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your kindness"

Thalia shifted her attention to us and said, "It's good that the guard knows"

"Yes, this proves that Daedalus doesn't know _everything_", Nico spoke mockingly.

"Whatever, he might be protecting the secrecy of the airline", I said, "We better hurry. Lead on, Thalia"

We walked again, this time along the left hallway. Thalia kept on looking at her right while walking, checking if one of the signboards read Atlas Air.

It seemed like we were walking forever until Thalia spotted the sign. That's when I realized that we walked until the end of the hallway.

There was a reception desk in front of us. A woman acted as the receptionist. I approached her and she greeted me, "Good morning, ma'am, is there anything I could do for you?"

"Could we buy four tickets for a trip to Los Angeles?"I told her.

"That will cost you-"

I dropped four golden drachmas on the desk. She was astounded to see them. She looked back at me, "I'm sorry ma'am, but we don't accept your currency. We only accept dollars"

Lighting stroked at me. Daedalus' laptop said that the receptionist was an automaton. It can't be wrong. _He _can't be wrong. The receptionist might be testing me. "Those are golden drachmas", I said, "The currency of the gods"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, what did you just say?" she stared at me as if I'm nuts.

But what I told her is true. If she is an automaton which Daedalus had programmed, she should have given us four tickets by now. Could this mean that the thing about Atlas Air in his laptop isn't true? What shall we do now?

Suddenly, a tall man approached the desk. He was wearing a the same uniform as the receptionist. He whispered at her ears. The receptionist looked at her watch. "Oh yeah, it's your duty now", she said, "I'll be going now"

The receptionist grabbed her bag from below the desk and walked away from us. The man, who should also be a receptionist, turned his eyes on mine. His eyes looked as if they had no life. The sight of his eyes sent shivers down my spine. He then spoke, "Payment accepted. Here are your tickets. Please proceed to Gate 4 – VIP Lane"

So he's the automaton. That explains why his eyes looked lifeless. I sighed in relief.

He handed me four tickets, just as what I asked the _mortal_receptionist. I read one of the tickets and it said that we would arrive in Los Angeles International Airport after about 6 hours.

I turned to Nico, Thalia and Perseus, and handed them their tickets. Of course, I kept Luke's with me. "Gate 4, everybody" I said.

Nico and Thalia nodded. Luke grabbed my shirt. "Where's my ticket mom?" he asked.

"It's with me", I replied.

"Give it to me, mom"

"You'll just lose it"

"No, I won't"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"Here, take good care of it"

I gave him his ticket. I just couldn't resist my child. It was one of my_ flaws_. Anyway, it's not what you call a hero's fatal flaw, right?

We proceeded to Gate 4. We presented our tickets to the officer who signed them. We were about to put our baggage on the X-Ray scanner when he stopped us, "No need, sir and ma'am, you are given VIP access so you can bring anything you would like to bring"

"Thanks for informing us", Nico said.

"You're welcome, sir. You should be seeing your plane once you make an exit through that door"

He directed us to a door which had a sign that read, "VIP Plane". Nico bowed at him in thanks before urging us to follow him to the door.

The moment we exited through the mentioned door, my jaw dropped at what I saw. So did the others.

In front of us was a golden plane. It shone brightly in the sunlight. It blinded us for a second or so.

"Zeus..." Thalia muttered.

"Magnificent", I said in awe.

"Are we going to ride on that plane, mom?" Luke asked me.

"Yes, dear", I replied, still gazing at the plane's shimmering exterior.

"Amazing! I can't imagine that we'll be flying on that gold plane. By the way mom, will it be more exciting than to fly on Blackjack?"

_'There he goes again'_, I thought to myself, _'His dreams about Percy'_

Nico placed his palm on Luke's left shoulder. "You'll see", he said, "Let's go"

All of us walked towards the plane. As I got nearer, I realized that the plane looks like a small private helicopter. Its brightness distorted our sight, making it look big. But in fact, it's tiny.

The moment I entered the plane, I was greatly surprised. The interior was very spacious! It looked like a house on wheels... I mean wings. There's a sitting room in front of us, and an entertainment room too. Luke ran towards the entertainment room which was packed with the latest game consoles in the universe. Thalia dropped her bag on the couch and ran towards a room. Nico and I placed our things beside the couch before beginning to explore the entire plane.

After minutes of walking here and there, I discovered that the plane consists of the following rooms: a sitting room, an entertainment room, a study, a dining area with kitchen and three bedrooms with one restroom each. The furniture and ornaments in the plane were of the most elegant design you can ever find. This plane is a flying palace!

I entered the room where Thalia ra into. It was another bedroom – the fourth one. She was already lying on her bed fast asleep. I decided not to wake her up.

I left the room and proceeded to the entertainment room. Luke was playing The Titan Quest: Immortal Throne on a computer while Nico was helping him fight Hades, which was the last stage already.

I walked back to the sitting room and sat on the couch. The moment I did so, I felt tiredness creeping to my bones. I felt very much exhausted. My brain forced me to take a nap, and so I slept.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
